President Irfaan Ali has rejected the concern by the Carter Center that the governing People’s Progressive Party has been misusing state resources for political campaign purposes.

In a pre-election report, The Carter Center said it was in receipt of multiple allegations from political parties and civil society that the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has been misusing state resources. But the President Ali said that aspect of the report is absolutely wrong.

“First of all, let me say, on state resources, absolutely not true,” the President told reporters this morning just after observing the voting process at the GDF headquarters.

He said as an incumbent Government, there are always allegations of abuse of state resources, but he assured that his party’s campaign is fully funded by the party and its support base.

“Our party, as you know, might have been the only party that would have had so many fund raisers, you would have seen it all across the country, and so we have been able to raise enough resources with the love and support of the people, with the love and support of our supporters and members, and we have been able to raise enough resources to efficiently carry out our campaign and our work for these elections. So, there is no need for state resources and state resources have not been deployed,” President Ali said.

The Carter Center said the use of state resources for party campaigning runs contrary to Guyana’s international obligations with respect to campaign finance. The observer mission also noted that it has also received reports of biased reporting by state media.

The report also cited concerns over the President’s promotion of 2800 Police ranks in the lead up to the elections and his announcement of toll free crossings at the main bridges.

On the issue of the closure of accounts of the WIN Candidates by some commercial banks, and the Carter Center calling the move “over-compliance”. The President said the commercial banks do not operate in isolation.

“We have a banking association, the corresponding banking relationship is important. Banks don’t operate in isolation of the global financial system. Our financial institutions are part of the global financial system; that is what people don’t understand. This is not a government giving instructions. These are banks operating within global standards within a global financial system that can penalize them,” the President said.

He said persons associated with WIN, a party led by Businessman Azruddin Mohamed who remains sanctioned by the US, were warned that there would be consequences. He said the Government cannot be faulted for that.

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